What COVID-19 has revealed about remote auditing

Pivoting to a remote audit

Recently, we checked in with the CFOs of 113 large North American companies. In terms of revenue, nearly three-quarters say their companies are at 80 percent capacity or higher. And about two-thirds of the CFOs say no more than 10 percent of their workforce is working at less than half capacity.

Deloitte made the pivot as well. For the roughly 11,000 professionals in our audit and assurance business, remote work suddenly became a consistent reality. The COVID-19 crisis in the United States broke just as year-end audits were wrapping up and first-quarter filers were about to begin. But we did it largely due to more than a decade of investments in our organization’s digital transformation. Through the current crisis, we realized three important insights that may help other businesses navigate the brave new world of scaled digital working.

Resilience in volatile times

The digital transformation journey isn’t over—it will never be, as digital transformation by definition is change. Opportunities are ever-evolving and the risk of unpredictable events will remain. But a steadfast commitment to a culture of courage for a workforce to confidently manage the unexpected with a full toolbox can help steady the course of business, even when the outlook is beset by uncertainty.